Foreign Language | elmhurstacademy

Foreign Language and

Cultural Diversity

Bilingualism is present in just about every class, every age group and every country in the world. The United States, a country who stressed assimilation to all immigrant groups who came to its shores and boarders, has been the outlier with monolingualism being the norm. Yet, the culture of monolingualism is changing. We now know that bilingualism is a great benefit for children. Not only does it provide great cognitive benefits, but it also prepares children to be citizens of the world. Children who speak more than one language have a wealth of words to express their discoveries and experiences.

For children to become truly bilingual they must be exposed to the second language not only in school but also in their community, with other adults and other children. We, as the community of educators and parents that supports our children, must place value on the second language by exposing children in a variety of situations. Children use language to make sense of their present, their past and their future. Loris Malaguzzi wrote in the poem The Hundred Languages of Children, "The child has a hundred languages (and a hundred hundred hundred more)". Second language acquisition is just one of the languages fostered at Elmhurst Academy.